Membership – What To Expect

Become a Member of Georgia 811

Georgia 811 Membership is required for any Facility owner or operator. Defined by the Georgia Utility Facility Protection Act under § 25-9-3. Definitions (15) a “Facility owner or operator” means any person or entity with the sole exception of a homeowner who owns, operates, or controls the operation of a utility facility.

Member Benefits

By removing the burden of direct contact from excavators and homeowners to utility service providers, Georgia 811 provides a streamlined free service that results in increased instances of notification before digging. What does that mean for members? It means more opportunities to mark utility facilities before digging occurs, resulting in fewer damages.

Georgia 811 members receive notification when excavation is planned in their service area and members are then able to coordinate locate technicians to properly mark their underground utilities. This helps excavators avoid utility damage and thus costly facility repairs. In addition to facilitating the notification process for members, Georgia 811 also provides training opportunities and support via the Customer Connections and Liaison Departments.

What should I expect when I become a member of Georgia 811?

• Be prepared to locate your underground utility facilities with paint or flags, using the appropriate American Public Works Association (APWA) color code for the type of utility.
• Be prepared to pay Georgia 811 Membership Fees: see Billing Explanation
• Be prepared to create a Service Area Map that outlines where all of your utilities are located  This will allow us to keep record of the areas in which you operate so we can accurately disseminate locate requests.
• Be prepared to respond to the Positive Response Information System (PRIS)
  • As a Member of Georgia 811 it will be your legal responsibility to respond to your locate requests using PRIS. This is a system that is used as a communication method between the utility member and the excavator.  This allows the excavator to know if all of the underground utility lines have been located before excavation begins or if there is an issue in locating the lines. This will help to prevent a possible damage to your utility and open communication lines if there is an issue.  Also, failure to respond to PRIS will result in a late notice fee for your company. To avoid this fee, you must respond on or before the “Response Due Date” that is provided on each locate request and for all of your Utility Types listed on the request.

Member to Member Locating
Georgia 811 policy requires an additional membership setup for any Georgia 811 member that has been hired to locate and/or manage Locate Requests for another Georgia 811 member. The additional membership will be billed as an Auxiliary Receiver (cost for this membership can be found in the billing explanation).

If you have any questions regarding this policy, please contact our Customer Connections Department at 770-623-5786 or by email at customerconnections@georgia811.com.

 
Georgia 811 Membership PDF Documents: